


Reconciliation

by the_impatient_panda



Series: There and Back Again: A Defiance Tale [3]
Category: Defiance (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, Multi, People Return, Post-Canon, Reconciliation, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25493956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_impatient_panda/pseuds/the_impatient_panda
Summary: Meh, Nolan and Bec make it safely back to Earth, but things are not quite how they left them....WARNING: INCOMPLETE There is a beginning, middle and end. Some parts are very well fleshed out, others are skeleton dialogue and notes. Enjoy or hate at your own risk.
Relationships: Amanda Rosewater/Meh Yewll, Amanda Rosewater/Meh Yewll/Joshua Nolan, Datak Tarr/Stahma Tarr, Irisa Nyira/Alak Tarr, Joshua Nolan/Amanda Rosewater
Series: There and Back Again: A Defiance Tale [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859401
Kudos: 3





	Reconciliation

-090-

“Are we set?” Nolan asked from the pilots seat, swiveling around to face what he thought of as his 'girls’.

“Not yet,” Meh answered from her station at the main console. “Besides, even if we were we can’t begin descent for another four hours. Coming in before full dark-”

“I know, I know,” he cut in impatiently. “I just can’t help it. Its like a road trip when you can finally see the lights of your destination in the distance and you just want to hurry up even if its not smart or safe.” Catching her eye. “We’re almost there, Meh. We’re  _ almost home _ .”

“Yeah,” she sighed, pausing in her work. “I just hope its the homecoming we dreamed of.”

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

“Ten years, Nolan. That’s a long time. Longer than any of us have actually be in Defiance, and look at the changes that happened just while we were there. Amanda may not be the Mayor anymore. Irisa might be somewhere else. The city could be a practically a ghost town or, or...” Clearing her throat. “Or they could all be dead.”

“The city is fine,” he snorted, giving her a frown. “We both saw the scans. Its huge, like two or three times bigger than before. I bet the mines are up and running and you saw the lev-train tracks. They’re fine. They’re all fine.”

“The city being fine does not mean the people in it are,” she retorted hotly. “Hell, it could be in the hands of the Votanis Collective by now. Or a new Earth Republic. Maybe Stamah finally got the women Castithans to rise up and take over the world.”

“Is this you being scared again?”

“It’s me trying to prepare myself for the fact that our homecoming may not be the joyous event we both have hoped for these last ten years.”

“Hey, look, I’m as much a realist as you are, but I don’t care how far-fetched or ridiculous it sounds, they’re all still there. I know it. I can feel it, alright?”

“You don’t have arktech in your brain anymore, alright? So whatever you think you feel, its not real and I can’t believe in it. I just can’t.”

“Why are you guys fighting now?”

Both turned as their daughter walked in, sporting her new clothes and make-up. 

“Let me see,” Meh said as she walked over to her daughter. The girl stood almost up to her mother’s shoulder, and had a bearing more suited to someone near twice her age. Allowing Meh to turn her head this way and that with a touch of impatience, the half-human’s expression was very much that of her father putting up with something he thought entirely unnecessary.

“Good,” Meh said with a sigh. “And your hat-”

“Right here,” Bec said, pulling it out of her pocket and putting it on with a flouring. The turban-like hood covered her ears as well, and between that and the make-up she was indistinguishable from any other indogene child. “So why are you and Josh fighting?”

“Tenacity,” Meh sighed, rolling her eyes. “A human trait, though an admirable one in the right conditions.”

“Are you implying that not dropping this conversation is not admirable?” her daughter shot back cooly.

“Yes, she is,” Nolan agreed with a grin from his seat. “Meh and I are arguing about optimism. Like usual.”

“I’m too practical to believe in something without facts,” the doctor replied shortly. “So shoot me.”

“Bang bang.”

Father and daughter grinned at each other over their finger guns as Meh decided the best way to deal with the situation was to ignore it. 

The truth was, Bec was not as thrilled about seeing the homeworld of her parents as she once might have been. Idly she scrolled through the scans and details from an unused screen as her parents went back to idly bickering and running through their checks. The first she had heard about her unique status was over dinner a few weeks before, and she still had yet to reconcile the nagging doubt that her parents’ actions were more out of shame than fear. 

Still, she was usually an obedient daughter, and so she perfected her skills with the make-up and helped her mom make new clothes that helped her blend in with one race while denying the other. She would have to lie about her age as well, if she met other indogene’s. She was too small to be a 9 year old among their kind, and too big to be nine for a human. Her mother assured her that at the very least, she would do well if tested in her knowledge and skills as a student. That was something, she supposed. It still hurt that half of her family would have to leave her, at least for a little while. 

The hardest part, though, had been giving up her dreams about Irisa. The big sister she’d never met, but had idolized for years and years. Dreams of pancake breakfasts in the little cafe her father liked so much, out for a day of fun and adventure with the strong, beautiful, perfect Irisa. 

The sister she could no longer acknowledge. The sister she had to pretend didn’t exist. Oh, Irisa would exist in Defiance (she hoped, as she wasn’t sure what her father would do if she was somewhere else) but just as someone in the city. Nolan’s daughter, the one he could acknowledge before the world. 

“It shouldn’t be for long, squirt,” Nolan told her that night as they lay there and practiced their indogenes together. “Just enough to be sure you’re safe.”

“Safe from what?” she asked, refusing to look him in the eyes. “I’m just a kid.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But you’re a special kid. A one of a kind. And people are not always kind to things that are special. You are an accident, but not-”

“A mistake, I know,” she finished for him with a small smile. “So I’ll have to live with Meh, when we first get back.”

“Yes.”

“Are we ever going to live together again? Like this?”

“I don’t know, squirt. I hope so. I really do.”

“Speak for yourself,” Meh said as she entered the room, flopping on her side of the sleeping nest and facing the ceiling with a sigh. “I can’t wait to get rid of your snoring.”

“Oh, admit it, Doc. You’re going to miss having me around all the time.”

And much to everyone’s surprise, the indogene said, “Yeah, I probably will.” Glancing over to see their looks of disbelief. “What? I’m not made of stone.”

“You are pretty boney, though,” Nolan countered with a grin. “And that metal in your frame makes you weigh, like, a ton-” A pillow in the face cut off the rest. The battle was short, Meh never participated for long against the ‘bloodthirsty barbarians’, and Bec was still small enough for her father to toss around with ease. Squealing that she gave in as he mercilessly pummeled her with a pillow in either hand, the looming changes hadn’t seemed that important. 

Now, hours away from landing, they were enormous. 

The approach had been planned for nearly three weeks. Once they realized how close they were to hope, Meh activates a field that distorts their presence on scanners. They look like random space junk. Given the radiation that still surrounds the Earth, they should be undetectable as anything important. They then hid among a large group of space wreckage above Earth in LEO. Waiting for the right time, the plan is to wait for full dark and then come down in as carefully as possible to the far end of the canyon. Then they slip into Defiance and head for the NeedWant, because its where they’re most likely going to find the answers they seek. 

Meh controls the ship through the descent, though Nolan sits in his pilot’s seat and Bec stands behind him, holding on to his chair for support. Meh isn’t hooked up to the ship like before, but is instead using the extended interface she’s created these last ten years.

  
The decision to bring the ship was a highly debated one. Over and over, they argued it back and forth but the main point is: if Defiance is the same city as before, then it can use every bit of help it can get. And if it isn’t, then Nolan and Meh will either take it somewhere else or blow it up. Meh has deadman’s switched herself to it, so if she dies the ship doesn’t blow up but the AI is destroyed with a virus that will also ruin most of it inside. As a result, whoever gets it can mine it for scrap, but that’s about it. The controls are also wired to her and Nolan’s armband that he still has. Bec does not have one, just in case, but she does have a special hailer that can reach Nolan or Meh’s interfaces. 

The landing is pretty much perfect. 

“That’s my girl,” Nolan says as they touch down. 

“I’m not your girl.” But it has no heat.

“Ready to go home?”

“Been ready.”

The bags are checked one last time. There are tools and supplies they bring that they might need for Meh’s interface, but everything else is just clothes and some items they can sell for scrip if it comes up. Bec’s pack is especially small as it is mainly her makeup and a single change of clothes with some scrip Nolan had in his pocket when they went to space. 

“Now, what are we going to do?” Nolan asked as they exited the ship and Meh activated the camouflage shield. 

“Keep our heads down and watch for trouble,” Bec parroted for the fourth time. “I know, I know.”

“Easy, squirt,” Meh said as she took Bec’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. 

“Did you mother hen Irisa this much?”

“I was probably worse.” Winking at Meh.

“Irisa would have put a knife in your throat if you had.”

“True.” Proudly. “I taught her well.”

They ran into the outer edges of the city much sooner than expected, new buildings and roads having sprung up in their absence.

“You know,” Meh murmured to Nolan as they spotted the Hollows in the distance, “I kind of hope Datak is still around. He was a pain in the ass sometimes, but...”

“But he came through for us in the end.”

“Yeah, he did.”

“What’s that?” Pointing at the glowing arch.

“That’s the Arch,” Meh said as she glanced at it. “Though it didn’t glow the last time I was here.”

“It didn’t have its top third either,” Nolan said as he squinted at it. “It looks like they actually rebuilt it, though. I’m not sure how...”

“Tenacity and stubbornness, probably,” the indogene observed with a snort. “C’mon, I’m getting cold and hunger won’t be far behind.

“Yeah, alright.”

Mainstreet was almost exactly the same. Some of the buildings stood a little taller, and the road was now paved for part of the way, but the worn feel like a pair of your favorite boots that you’ve cared for well but are still showing their age was there. 

The NeedWant beckoned from across the street, and Meh and Nolan glanced at each other as Bec stared around her in awe.

“Well,” the ex-lawkeeper said as he stretched his shoulders. “Here goes-”

“Excuse me,” a crisp voice behind them said. “I’m going to need to see some identification.”

“What?” 

The trio turned to find a young man standing behind them, a shotgun in his hands with the nose pointed down and his body at ease. 

“I’m Deputy Lenti,” he said as the light betrayed his Irathian heritage despite his close-cropped hair and neatly pressed clothes. “And I’m going to need to see some papers.”

“Since when do you need papers in Defiance?” Meh asked, glancing around. 

“Since the Raiders tried to start sneaking in a few at a time pass the Stasis Net,” the Deputy replied with a frown. “It’s been months, and there’s no way you made it down the pass without hearing of it. Papers, please.”

“We don’t have papers, son,” Nolan said as he carefully moved his hands to where the young man could see them. “And we’re not looking for trouble. Just some old friends.”

“Tell me who, and if they can vouch for you and are of good standing we can get you papers,” the Deputy replied as calm as could be. “But I’ll have to ask you to wait in the lawkeeper’s office while I fetch them. Not behind bars, mind, just where Deputy Harris can keep an eye on you.”

“We’ll go,” Meh said quickly when Nolan started to frown. “Right, Josh?” The pointed look she gave him was enough to make him shrug.

The Deputy paused as he glanced at her, frowning himself. “Sorry,” he said, “But do I know you, ma’am?”

“No, you do not,” she replied tartly. “And I’m not a ma’am.”

“Just take us to the office, kid,” Nolan cut in impatiently. “And if she’s around, find Irisa. She’ll vouch for us.”

“Lawkeeper Irisa?” he replied, looking surprised. 

“She’s the Lawkeeper now?” the ex-soldier said, beaming. “Thata girl.”

“Lawkeeper Irisa’s been in her post near ten years, sir,” the Deputy replied as he lead them towards the same office as they remembered. “How long you been gone, sir?”

“About that long.”

The inside was about the same as before. The walls had a fresh coat of paint, and the cell had been expanded to hold a few more occupants. The liberata behind the desk looked up as they entered, his hair and beard a deep brown with gold streaks. “Deputy Lenti,” he said in surprise. “What’s this?”

“They don’t have papers,” the young Irathian said with an easy shrug. “But claim to know Lawkeeper Irisa.”

“How’d they get in without papers?”

“I’d like to know that myself.”

“We’ll save it for the Lawkeeper, thank you.” Nolan. 

“Right, let me get her on the hailer...”

“Can I get you something to drink?” Deputy Harris asked as he came around the desk. “Water? Juice? Coffee’s on in the back, and should be about ready-”

“You have coffee?” Nolan interrupted. “Real, honest-to-god coffee?”

“Of course,” the liberata replied with a shrug. “With the new fields the Irathians planted in the terraformed lands, coffee is nearly as common as chocolate now. Would you like some, sir?”

“Oh, would I.” Pleased. “I haven’t had coffee in...man, I can’t even remember...”

“Nothing, thank you,” Meh said, keeping to the side with a firm hold on Bec.

“And you, miss?”

“Juice, please,” Bec replied.

“What kind?”

“Uh...whichever.” 

“If you have ______, she’d probably like that.” Nolan, from where he’s resting against the wall. 

“_____, it is.”

“The Lawkeeper is on her way,” Deputy Lenti said as he put his hailer back in his pocket. “Are you sure she’ll be happy to see you, sir? She wasn’t happy about having her breakfast interrupted.”

“I think she’ll get over it pretty quick,” Nolan laughed. “By the way, does Amanda Rosewater still run the NeedWant?”

“ _ Madame _ Rosewater does,” the Deputy replied with a slight frown. “And she’s Mayor, if you missed that too.”

“See Meh? I told you.” Nolan smirking.

“Meh?” Deputy Lenti said, glancing at the Idongene in surprise. “As in Meh Yewll? The Meh Yewll, the original?”

Meh looks startled, “Meh Yewll the  _ what _ ?”

“Ok, Lenti,” a familiar voice said as the door swung open. “This better be-”

Everything stopped as Irisa’s eyes fell on her father.

“Hey kiddo,” he said as he opened his arms with a smile. “Long time no see, eh?”

“Is it really you?”

“It’s really me. I’m home.”

“And you actually-?”

“Yeah, safely delivered as promised. Now c’mere.”

They hug tightly, Irisa angrily wipes away few tears. 

“I always said you’d come back.”

“Atta girl.”

Pushing back. “Meh, did she-?”

“I’m right here,” Meh said as she stepped forwards slightly. “I-” She cut off when Irisa hugged her nearly as hard as her dad. “Ah...hi.” Patting her awkwardly on the back.

“So this is  _ the _ Meh Yewll,” Deputy Lenti asked, getting excited. “I-”

“Shut it, Lenti, you can fangirl over her later,” Irisa cut in. “I knew he’d make it if you’d be there to keep him in line.”

“Someone has to.”

“I know.” Seeing Bec. “Who’s this?”

“My daughter,” Meh said quickly as she flashed a grin at the staring girl. “Bec, this is Irisa.”

“Your daughter?” Irisa said. “But how...?”

“It’s a long story. Better told over warm food and with papers apparently that we didn’t know we needed.”

“How did you get into town without being stopped at the Net?” Irisa, to Nolan.

“Another long story, also best told over warm food with papers,” he replied with a grin. 

“Well, I know just the person we need to see,” the Irathian lawkeeper said with a grin. “Deputies, I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, m-...sir.” Deputy Lenti.

“They’re good, you’ve done well.” Nolan.

“I have some help keeping them in line. Berlin is still around. She’s married, to that Conrad fellow.”

“How about Datak? He still around and kicking?” Meh.

“Yes, and an almost productive member of the town. He and Stamah have built a lot of goodwill in the town the last few years. They even built a schoolhouse for the kids, out of their own money. And Stamah takes care of most of the day to day interactions at the NeedWant.”

“What?”

“She and Amanda are on better terms than before. Besides, with as big as Defiance got, Amanda doesn’t have enough time to see it every day. She’s lucky if she gets to peak in and check on things once or twice a week. No, Stamah really stepped up and helped out when things got tight.”

“Wow.”

Irisa takes them into the government building, and waves down the security guard at the front. “They’re friends,” she called as she took them up. “And trust me, she’s going to want to see them now.”

“I’ll take your word for it, Lawkeeper.”

“Well,” muttered Meh, “here goes my chance out the window.”

“Might not end that way,” Nolan protested as Irisa motioned for them to stay put and knocked on the door at the end of the hall. 

“Yeah right. She’s going to call you in first.”

“We’ll all go in together if she does. I made a promise and I plan to stick to it.”

“Like any plan we’ve ever made has actually worked the way its supposed to.”

“Ok, that’s not fair because most of the time the thing that wrecks the plan isn’t something we could even have known about-”

The rest of the conversation was lost to Meh as a strong hand took her by the arm and yanked her through the door.

“See?” Irisa said proudly to the robe-wearing Amanda Rosewater. “I told you so.”

“Meh!”

The frozen doctor was given a brief eyeful before the mayor of her dreams was darting forward to catch her in a tight hug. 

“Hi?” she squeaked back, stiff as a board. “Ah...Amanda. I, uh...” Trying to focus past the feel of  _ very _ warm flesh being pressed against her. 

“I can’t believe its you,” Amanda breathed against her neck before pulling back. 

Meh glances down, then turns away. “It’s good to see you too. Please get dressed.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Quickly gathering her robes. “But its...it’s really you. Wait, is Nolan-?”

“Outside. Clothes first, please.” Because even as her mind is reeling, she doesn’t want Nolan to get a look at this. She turns to the window to keep herself from staring.

“Yes, right. Just give me a minute....” Amanda looks...amazing. A few streaks of grey in her hair, a few new lines on her face. She’s still beautiful. 

Meh waits until she thinks the clothes noises have stopped, then turns around to accidentally get another eyeful of Amanda putting her shirt on. She yanks her eyes to the floor. Then looks up to see Amanda grinning at her. “What?”

“I just...I’m really happy to see you.”

“Yeah, and I’m a little surprised by that. To be honest, we weren’t on excellent terms when we parted.”

“Well...things changed.” Looping an arm through hers. Meh glances down at the arm, then back up at her. 

“I guess so.”

“Let’s go see Nolan. My cook always makes plenty for breakfast, so you can join me to eat.”

“That would be nice.”

Nolan watched with his mouth hanging open as Irisa closed the door behind herself. “What was that?”

“What?”

“Not that I’m complaining,” he said carefully. “But why would Amanda want to see Meh first?”

“Ah...it’s a long story,” she replied with a shrug. “Probably best told over a warm meal blah blah blah...”

“You’re not funny.”

“If I’m not, I’m blaming it on you. They might be a minute, so I’ve got news for you.”

“What’s that?” Staring at the door.

“You’re a grandpa.”

“I’m a  _ what?!” _

Bec stood back, feeling a little lost as she watched one parent disappear through a door and the other got absorbed in a conversation about people she didn’t know with names that felt strange in her ears. Things were moving fast, too fast, and she couldn’t- she couldn’t-

“Bec?” 

The girl looked up and took a deep breath as she felt hands on her face.

“Easy, squirt,” Meh said as she touched foreheads with her gently. “Are you alright?”

“It’s just a lot,” the girl replied faintly. “It’s all...a lot. I don’t-”

“It’s alright,” Nolan said quickly as he came to her side. “I’m sorry, I should have been keeping a better eye on you when Meh left the room. What, are you hungry? You a think a little breakfast might help?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Nodding.

“Bec,” Meh said she straightened. “I have someone I want you to meet. This is Amanda Rosewater, the Mayor of Defiance. Amanda, this is Bec. She’s my daughter.”

“Your  _ daughter? _ ” Surprised. “How-?”

“The usual Indogene way.”

Puzzled look. “I actually don’t think I know how Indogene’s have children.”

“Exactly.”

“Fine, keep your secrets.” Amanda sees Nolan. “Nolan.”

Soft smile. “Amanda.”

They hug. Meh fusses with Bec.

“Do you like french toast, Bec?” Irisa asked as she took the girl’s other side and lead the way to the dining room.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had some,” the girl replied slowly.

“Then you are in for a treat.”

The meal was fabulous. Bec sat back in her seat, happily stuffed to the gills and licking berry syrup off her fingers.

“I promise, she has table manners,” Meh said in despair as she nursed a cup of coffee. The bitter taste was almost pleasant, and she had feeling she could come to enjoy it very quickly. “Let’s blame it on being planetside for the first time. Speaking of which, she’s going to need immunizations.”

“You can get them today. In fact...this may be premature, but the city is in need of a doctor again.”

“What happened to your last one?”

“She...died. It was the end of her lifespan.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Glancing at Bec. “Well, squirt, what do you think? Should we stick around Defiance for awhile?”

Bec looks at Nolan. “Are you staying, Josh?”

“I am,” he agreed with a grin. “Did you hear, Meh? I have grandkids!”

“Yay for you.” But there’s not bite to it, and Amanda’s brow goes up. “If you have no one else, I’ll take it. Is my office still available, or...?”

“We expanded it some,” Amanda replied with a smile. “I think you’ll like the changes. But your rooms are actually still waiting for you. We can have a second bed brought in for Bec, unless there’s somewhere else she’s going to stay.”

“An extra bed will do,” Meh said quickly before her daughter could speak. “I would like to see it, though. I don’t suppose my scrip or my papers are still around...”

“I actually have all of it,” Amanda said quickly. “And yours, Nolan. Just in case.”

“Thank you.” 

“Yeah, thanks.”

“I’m guessing you want to see Datak Tarr, too,” Irisa said as she leaned towards Meh.

“Yeah, I guess.” Shrugging. “He was my only friend there for awhile. I should at least let him know I’m back in town.”

“He still speaks very highly of you.”

“Does he now? I wonder if there’s something wrong with his brain...a tumor perhaps.”

Irisa laughs. Meh smirks. 

“You look good. Even with the hair.” Amanda to Nolan.

“Hair?” Touching his head. “Oh, right. I started shaving it when Meh and I realized both of us were shtako at haircuts.”

“It looks good. A little more grey than I remember.” Teasing.

“Hey, people who live in glass houses...” Grinning. “Seriously, though, you’re just as beautiful as when I left.”

“Ha, flattery will get you nowhere. Or everywhere. I haven’t decided which yet.”

“Hm. What’s with the Madame Rosewater thing? I got corrected by one of the Deputies when we got into town.”

“Oh, you don’t want to hear about that-”

“Yes he does,” Irisa chimed in with grin. “It’s only about Amanda making Senator Grailsby look like a jekking fool in front of his fellow Senators.”

“Hoshiro Grailsby?” Meh asked as she sipped at her coffee again and decided that yes, it was quite delicious. “He still kicking around?”

“Alright,” Amanda said with a grin. “So, Defiance is now part of a non-aggression pact that includes the Votanis Collective and most of North America. We’ve been at peace for nearly five years, more or less. When it was first signed, I had to travel to ________ to sign the official papers. Senator Grailsby kept calling me ‘Madame’, and when I finally asked him why he replied, “Isn’t Madame the traditional title of the matron of a whorehouse.” To which I responded, “You’re right, it is.” And so I kept it. I even signed the damned document ‘Madame Amanda Rosewater’. It caught on, and now what he meant as an insult is a title of respect. Not that it would have taken much more than that, but the idiot was unseated in the next election.”

“Madame,” Meh musing aloud. “It suits you.”

Amanda smile. “Thank you.”

“Well, I’d like to go meet my grandchildren,” Nolan said as he went to stand. “And see the city some more. Squirt, you want to-”

Everyone realizes for the first time that Bec is fast asleep in her chair. Meh and Nolan exchange looks, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by their companions. 

“Is there somewhere she can sleep?” Meh asked as Nolan moved to pick her up. “We didn’t sleep last night, walking into town. She’s probably exhausted.”

“You could all go lay down for awhile,” Irisa suggested quickly. “If you needed. There’s no rush to do anything else.”

“No, I’ve had coffee,” Meh replied quietly. “And now I feel like I might not ever sleep again.”

“First time there, doc?” Holding Bec cradled to his chest. 

“Yes. How is this not labeled as a drug? I already want more.”

“Amanda? A place we can put her?”

“She can sleep on my bed. And then we really all need to sit down and talk. There’s things you need to know before you go back out into the city, and its going to take some time to cover them all.”

“We were gone ten years.” Meh. “I suppose a few things have probably occurred.”

Irisa. “Something like that.”

“Irisa, go with Meh to my office and have Bran cancel everything for today. Also order their papers and inform Doctor Hartsford and Doctor Caulis that they have a new boss that they will meet either tonight or tomorrow.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Come on, Nolan, its back this way.”

On the way. “Why did you move out of the NeedWant?”

“We needed the room for more girls. And...it was time. We sectioned it off into two rooms. One is the office. Stamah helps me run it now, and she uses it when I’m too busy to come in. The other is for one of the new hires.”

“So you sleep across from your office.”

“Pretty much the best commute in the world, right?”

“That’s one way of looking at it.”

“We still have unused rooms in this building on the next floor. Defiance is growing, but there isn’t much need for tons of office work. Most of it is just making sure people get along.”

“And I bet you’re still great at it.”

“Again with the flattery...”

Meh wandered the office, noting the changes as Irisa spoke to a staring Bran. She ignored the new face, chalking his persistent gaze up to being new in town. To him, at least. 

The pictures in particular she stopped to look over. There were more than before, which made her wonder if cameras were becoming common again. Irisa’s work could be seen every now and again, or some other artist, but several were actual printed photographs. Pausing at a side table, she found one that caught her eye and picked it up.

She was still looking at it when Nolan and Amanda walked in laughing.

“I mean it!” the ex-lawkeeper said with a shrug. “Ask Meh, she’ll back me-”

“Amanda,” the said doctor cut in sharply. “Who’s this?” 

The picture she held out was of a few familiar faces. Amanda herself, Berlin, Irisa and a fourth who could be Meh’s twin stood in front of what looked like the clinic, holding a pair of large shears.

“Meh,” Amanda said carefully as she took the picture. “I can-”

“Because it looks exactly like me,” Meh overrode her, growing louder as she spoke. “And if I didn’t know for a fact that I was in  _ space _ when that happened, I might think it was me.”

“Meh, I-”

“ _ Who is it?” _

“She’s a clone.” Irisa, putting a hand on Amanda’s shoulder. “Of you.”

“Holy Christmas.” Meh turns to Nolan. “A clone. I can’t jekking do this.” She heads for the door. Nolan steps in front of her.

“Hang on, Meh.”

“No, Josh. They made a clone, alright?  _ A clone!” _

“That’s not what happened.” Amanda

“Maybe we should give them a chance-”

“ _ A clone!” _

“Meh-” Nolan, gently taking her shoulders. “Can we just...hear them out?”

Meh pauses, then nods. “I need a moment first or I’m going to break something. Possibly someone’s face.”

“Ok.” He moves aside, letting go of her arms. 

“You can’t go outside,” Irisa said quickly. “Everyone knew Doc C. And its not even been a year since she passed.”

“I’ll stay inside, alright? Can I jekking go now? Or is there some other new rule I should know about?”

“No, you can go,” Amanda said, putting the picture aside. Meh leaves. Nolan turns to look at them. 

“A clone?” he asked incredulously. “Really? After what the Omec did to her-”

“We didn’t make the clone, Nolan,” Irisa said sharply. “The Omec did. When I got back down to earth with Datak, found Amanda dying, alright? She reopened her wound protecting the citizens of Defiance when the Omec still planetside attacked. No one was sure what to do, because none of us knew how to help. I had to do something, so I went to start gathering up the Omec tech to keep it out of the wrong hands. Berlin and Datak came along, and we found her. Along with several pieces of other ones. We woke her up to see if she could help Amanda. She could. She didn’t have any of her memories, but all of her skills were there. She saved Amanda’s life that night. And when we asked her to stay, she did.”

“The indogenes wouldn’t have left a clone alone. Meh’s told me a few things about it while we were gone, how did you keep this hidden...?”

“We didn’t hide it,” Amanda replied with a shrug. “They came, and with Meh gone to space they gave us a choice to keep her. We had to mark her as a clone, and she couldn’t take Meh’s name or contact her family. But she could continue her work. They knew she had a limited lifespan somehow, and I think that helped. She was with us almost nine years.”

“Shtako.”

“There are so many people who would be dead without her, Nolan. Not just me. Through plagues and bad winters and mining accidents, the people of Defiance loved her for all she did.”

“And how’s Meh supposed to feel about this?”

“We didn’t replace her, Nolan. She had her own name, her own life.”

“She had Meh’s face and Meh’s voice. And you can’t tell me that anyone on the street who sees her isn’t going to think of her instead. Is that why you were so happy to see Meh? You were friends with her clone.”

“Yes, I was.” Uncomfortable. “I mean, I would have been happy to see you both either way, but I suppose losing Doc last years is still a little...fresh. Seeing Meh was like...”

“Like getting your friend back,” Nolan finished for her darkly. “The one you replaced her with.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is she’s been gone for ten years with me in space,” he shot back angrily. “Away from everything, and now she returns to find out there’s someone who’s been living her life for her and now she has to live up to them. Amanda, the Meh who left with me on that ship and came back liked and probably admired you, but she wasn’t your friend or confidant. And that’s how you’ve been treating her. Not like herself, but like the  _ clone you jekking replaced her with. _ ”

From the other side of the door, Meh had heard enough. She started walking with no intention of stopping, and found herself staring down at her daughter asleep in Amanda Rosewater’s bed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she sank down beside the still form, kneeling on the floor. “Bec...I don’t think I can stay. We don’t have a home here, and I don’t know what to do.”

“So what do we do?” Irisa asked as Nolan paced about and Amanda stared out the window. “We can’t let her leave, Amanda. And I don’t mean because we could use her skills.”

“No, we owe her so much,” the Mayor agreed quietly. “Nolan, I know you went too but you’d never have been able to manage the ship without her.”

“You’re right.” Gruffly. “We all owe her.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nolan. “She is seriously pissed right now.”

“I don’t think this will get any easier by waiting. Do you know where she...?”

“Probably to Bec.” 

“Alright.” Nodding, she leaves. 

“Still happy to be home?” Irisa, in a small voice.

“Yes,” Nolan sighed as he pulled her into a tight hug. “Absolutely yes. I just wish things weren’t always so jekking complicated.”

“Same shtako, different day.”

“I’ve missed you kiddo.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

Meh remained knelt beside the bed as she watched her daughter sleep. She tried to ignore the way the pillow and the sheets smelled like Amanda, and couldn’t.  _ Warm flesh pressed tight _ -

“Bec, your mother has shtako for brains,” she murmured as she closed her eyes tight. “I blame Josh....”

“Can I come in?” Amanda, in the doorway.

“It’s your room.” Not getting up or even looking at her.

“I owe you an apology,” Amanda went on as she stepped inside. “Several apologies, actually.”

“Oh? What else have you done to betray everything I ever meant to this city and its inhabitants?” Still looking at her daughter. “Cannibalism in my name? Blamed me for the Omec attack? Is ‘Yewll’ the new word for devil?”

“We have...always been a little out of step, haven’t we?” Amanda said softly as she sat on the bed near the kneeling Yewll.

“How so?”

“You were close to Nicky. And even though I had no real reason, I never....quite trusted you the way she did.”

“Hm. Time has not proven you entirely wrong.”

“No, but I can’t say I was entirely in the right either,” the Mayor admitted leadenly. “People say that I’m a good leader because I give everyone a chance. But I never gave you one, did I?”

“How so?”

“When you were arrested by E-Rep and put in prison, I could have tried to help. I knew you somehow got mixed up in whatever was going on with Irisa and Nolan. I suspected you somehow went against orders, otherwise how would they have escaped and you end up in prison? But...I didn’t. I didn’t try to ask your side of the story. I didn’t...worry about it.”

“You weren’t the Mayor.”

“I had...a fair amount of pull with him. I could have done something. Tried, at least.”

“I guess.”

“Then, when you did get out, I kept my distance. I-”

“Don’t apologize for anything during that time,” Meh said quietly. “I...I helped-”

“I know. It was your price to get out of prison. I’ve see what its like in there, and...I can’t say I blame you. I’d probably do just about anything to get out after seven months too.”

“I hated doing it. Doing that to you.”

“I always wondered why you lied for him. To cover up the truth.”

“He still had too much power, and I didn’t have many friends. I figured it was better to make th favors he already owed me bigger, rather than burning the ones I already had.”

“And given my temperament, if you had told me the truth...I would have blamed you too.”

“...that might have figured into things, too.”

“See? Out of step again. There is something else I do need to apologize for, though. I still believe saving the Omec girl was the right thing to do at the time, but we never should have taken your flesh against your will. It was wrong. And I’m sorry.”

“...it’s alright.” Clearing her throat, and looking away. “You value life. Even Omec life. I can’t argue much against the ideal, I just spent a decade preserving what’s likely the last shipful of them and helping them find a new home.”

“But it happened because...we were out of step. I didn’t trust you enough to ask you for permission. And I’m not sure that even if I had you would have trusted me enough to let me take it.”

“You’re probably right. I would have run.”

“So when we found your clone, left by the Omec, I saw it as a second chance. A chance to prove at least to myself whether or not we could have been friends.”

“Were you?”

“We were. She was funny, in the same way you are. A little less prone to being hurtful, and a little more likely to smile, but...we had fun. We shared our lives. And we built a trust that was damn near unshakable. She became like...family to me. But sometimes, all I could think about when I was with her was how different things had been if I’d tried to reach out to you.”

“Who says I would have let you?”

“At least then I could say I tried. That us not being friends, not trusting one another, wasn’t my fault.”

“...I did trust you some. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stayed. And it meant a lot that you came and asked me yourself.”

“I practically begged.”

“I wasn’t going to mention that.”

“I can’t speak for everyone in the city, and I’m sorry I never thought about how having her around might affect you if you came home again. But for me, she never replaced you. She made me miss you all the more, because she wasn’t the original and we both knew it.”

“If people can’t separate me from her, I don’t know if I can stay.”

“Will you try? Please?” Taking her hand. “You just got here, Meh. Can you give a few weeks? See how it goes? Even if you decide not to be our doctor anymore, I still want you to stay.”

“I can’t live off nothing. What would I do if I’m not the doctor?”

“Anything you want. Yes, you’re a talented doctor, but that’s not all you are. You’re brilliant with any sort of technology or computers. I could probably pay you for a year just to look over what we’re using for defense and the city upkeep and make suggestions.”

“A contracted position? Tempting.”

“So if being a doctor no longer appeals, that’s fine. Just...stay. Please. For at least a little while.”

“...I want to be a doctor. Its what I’m good at, and despite Nolan’s penchant for trouble he’s actually only been injured a few times while we’ve been traveling.”

“Then the position is yours for as long as you want it.” Leaning over like she’s telling a secret. “I have some pull with the lady in charge.”

“Any words of wisdom on how to get on her good side?” Dryly.

“Give her a chance not to be a screw-up for once?” Holding out her hand.

“Defiance: the city of second chances.” Taking it. Amanda pulls her to her feet. They both look down at Bec, who’s still asleep.

“She’s beautiful, Meh.”

“Yep, and she’s even smarter than she is pretty. I’m a lucky lady.”

“You know we have the school now...”

Bec lay still, and waited until it grew quiet to open her eyes. Why did adults think you could talk around a sleeping person and they wouldn’t wake up? Thankfully, it was a good way to learn a few things without seeming nosy.

She likes Amanda. And she knows her mom likes Amanda. She also knows her dad likes Amanda. She’s a little torn on who to root for in this scenario. Its a super comfy bed, though, and she drifts back off to sleep. 

Its lunchtime when she wakes back up. They’re sitting down to eat in the dinning room when Datak strides in. 

“Meh Yewll, as I live and breath,” he said as he caught her hand in a firm grip. “It’s good to see you again. You haven’t aged a day.”

“You have,” she told him with a small smile. “But you wear it well.”

He holds his arms out as though to say, what can you do? Turns to Nolan. “Nolan.”

“Datak.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard by now.”

“I have. So, your boy is my son-in-law.”

“We’re not married,” Irisa, from the table.

“You have two kids with him. Why the hell aren’t you married?”

“Because under Castithan law they would have to move in with me,” Datak said with a shrug. “Which they are both opposed to. Honestly, I don’t mind. Irisa is still treated like a member of the family, and I get to sleep in as my grandchildren are not there to wake me early.” Seeing Bec. “And who is this lovely young lady?”

“My daughter,” Yewll said with a hint of pride. “Bec.”

“Daughter?” Datak said as he gave her a strange look. “How in the seven hells do you have a daughter, Meh, given what I know about you?”

“None of your jekking business, that’s how,” she replied shortly.

“Huh. Right.” Turning to Amanda. “Madame Rosewater, not to be a bother but I understand you have cleared your schedule for today.”

“I think today merits it.”

“Yes, but it's still inspection day.”

“...why don't you take this one alone, Councilman Tarr? And you can tell everyone why, too. I think it's time we start spreading the news. Nolan and Dr. Yewll are safely home.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Citizen Tarr, serving the people. Who would have thought.”

“Stranger things have happened. Meh Yewll, savior of the planet for one.”

“Ha, true.”

“Miss Bec, it was a pleasure to meet you. I am sure you will find Defiance to be a welcome change to space.”

“The food is certainly better,” she said with a grin. 

“Given what Omec eat, I can imagine that is true.”

Skip around some. Nolan goes with them to the clinic, and Meh sees how the clone used her space but didn't take it over. Her clothes, bed and things are almost exactly as she left them. Bec is wandering around, and finds the clothes. Brightly colored.

“Can I have these?” Excited.

“Ask Madame Rosewater. They belonged to her friend.” There’s only a little dryness to her tone. 

“No, no, no,” Amanda said quickly with a smile. “It’s Amanda, to all of you. I get enough ‘Madame Rosewater’ from the rest of the city.”

“Then ask Amanda about the clothes.”

“They’re yours,” the Mayor added before Bec could open her mouth. “All of them. I think it would have made her happy to know they went to Meh’s daughter.”

“You’ve really changed this place.” Nolan, coming up from the first floor. “Meh, did you see how much room in downstairs? There’s even a separate room for operations now...” Glancing around the second floor. “You added rooms up here, too?”

“Doc C didn’t use them, but there was some talk that one of the other Doctors may move in up here after she...left us. At the time both of them declined, saying it was too soon. But now that you’re back, its all for you.”

“Bec, you could have your own room, squirt,” Nolan said with a wide grin. “Look, there’s one that overlooks the street over here....you can even see part of Mainstreet.”

“Can I?” Looking at Meh hopefully.

“If that’s what you want.” Trying to smile. “But there’s no rush-”

“Yes!” Picking up the clothes and carting them off to the new room.

“We can get you more furniture, too,” Amand said as she followed with a smile. “As long as you don’t mind it being used.”

“Nice!”

Meh watches from her room, holding a blanket she was straightening. Nolan comes beside her.

“They grow up,” he said softly. “It’s what they do.”

“I thought she’d want to stay with me for at least a little while after we got here,” Meh replied quietly. “I guess not.”

“That says more about how well you’ve raised her to be independent than anything else. She is not trying to get away from you, she’s just testing her wings. And if your patient, when she needs you she’ll come back to you.”

“Yeah, that’s logical, but kind of hard to believe right now.”

“You could look at it as a good thing.”

“How?”

“You still have two weeks. If things work out...not having Bec is your bed may be a good thing.”

_ Warm flesh pressed tight _ \- 

Indogene’s didn’t blush, but they did...silver a bit around the edges. Nolan grinned, and Meh caught it out of the corner of her eye. 

“Shut up, sthako for brains,” she told him in indogenese. 

“She hugged you first. You don’t have to be a brainiac to wonder what that means.”

“Irisa set it up.” Sighing. “And it wasn’t for me. It was for my clone.”

“Maybe,” Nolan admitted with a shrug. “But...if she could feel that about a clone, what might be possible for you?”

Meh didn’t reply. 

Both of the new Doctors appear. Doctor Castithan is a male, and very typical of his race. He still admits that the Doctor Meh clone was brilliant, and he has no doubt that the original is equally brilliant if not more so. The Irathian doctor is female. She was a simple healer, but when more of her people settled in the valley she came to Doc C to learn more. The Doctor took her in, and taught her as much as she wanted to know. She decided to stay to make use of the resources here, and now her people come to her for training and healing in the City. 

Rynn is currently the head of the Irathian tribe that has settled the canyon lands above the mines. They technically own the lands again, Amanda gifted them back a few years ago, but rent it to the miners so the gulganite can continue to flow. With some equipment the Omec left behind, they are able to extract it more efficiently than before and it is a very profitable business for all. 

Irisa comes to fetch Nolan for family dinner. He says he’ll be right there. He pulls Bec aside for a minute, and quietly reminds her that he loves her and that he’s just a hailer call away if she needs something. She nods, and hugs him tightly. He heads off with his acknowledged daughter. 

Amanda asks if Meh and Bec have plans for dinner. They do not, so she orders take out and they eat in a common area of the clinic while they wait on a few things to get delivered for Bec’s new room. Its pow vindaloo, and some other spicy foods. Bec likes them, but keeps having to drink water as she’s not used to the heat. 

“How did you eat?” Amanda asked as she refilled Bec’s water once again. “In space, I mean? Was there like...basic rations or...”

“At first, yeah,” Meh replied, deciding bringing up the blueish meat would be a great way to ruin everyone’s appetite. “Thankfully by the time Bec was eating too we’d managed a few plants from the seed bays. The closest I could get to bread, though, was a soft, spongy sort of roll. No real crust to it, and it dissolved the moment it touched anything wet. This,” she holds up her slice of sourdough smeared with fresh pow butter. “This I have missed.”

“Josh is a pretty good cook, though,” Bec said between gulps of water. “I like his chili.”

Amanda “I didn’t know Nolan could cook.”

“He couldn’t, at first,” Meh replied as she made a face. “To be fair, neither could I. Eventually we programed the drones to do most of it, but it took awhile.” She rubs absently at the back of her neck, then stops when she catches Amanda watching her. “What?”

“I just can’t imagine what it was like,” the Mayor said softly. “Just you and Nolan. And eventually Bec. For ten years. And a ship full of sleeping predators.”

“Technically, we only had the predators on board for a little over five years,” Meh admitted with a shrug. “I will say, I think we all slept better once they were safely planetside.”

“I wish we could have talked to them,” Bec said as she set her fork down. “It would have been nice to have someone else around.”

“Yeah, that happened once,” Meh reminded her flatly. “It didn’t end well.”

“What?”

“We had a system failure,” Meh explained as she glanced at Amanda. “A small one, but it opened up a few of the sleepers. We almost lost control of the ship to them. We stopped them though.”

“Meh and Josh were like heroes,” Bec added with a grin. “And Meh-”

“That’s enough, squirt,” the doctor cut in abruptly. “Your bed is here, why don’t you go make it up for the night? I’ll help Amanda clean this up.”

“Cool.” Bec leaves. 

“Why does she talk like an early 2000’s teenager?” Amanda asked curiously as she watched the girl leave. “And why does she call you ‘Meh’?”

“The first one is because T’evgin apparently purchased several data sticks and data drives from people in town. And one of them had a couple hundred movies from the 1990’s and 2000’s. Josh talked me into letting Bec watch them with him. We had several talks about how life on Earth isn’t anything like that anymore, but she still likes them.” Rolling her eyes. “Kids.”

“And for why she calls you ‘Meh’ and not ‘mom’?”

“It’s an indogene thing.” Taking a drink of her juice.

“Are you going to make me beg?”

“...no.” Though she’d probably enjoy it. “Indogene’s are given a name at birth. A simple name, usually just one syllable. Like Bec. Or Meh. Or Ben.” Clearing her throat, she moves on as Amanda’s face falls. “Sorry. That’s your...child name. When you pass the rigorous testing all Indogene’s are put through and are told what you are best suited to do with your life, you are given a second name. Your ‘true’ name.”

“So ‘Yewll’ isn’t a family name.”

“No. Its the name I was given when I was told that I had a talent for biology and science in general. Among Indogene’s, we address each other by our ‘true’ names as adults. Family and may call you both, but generally your child name is reserved for those whom you are closest to. Including your children.”

“But you let everyone call you Meh.”

“It’s different for everyone else. Nicolette might have been a sham, but she was right about that: to get along with everyone, we needed to change. To accept that we can’t force our ways on everyone else. When someone who isn’t Indogene uses my child name, I just accept it as part of life in a shared world.”

“You call Nolan ‘Josh’ sometimes, though,” Amanda pointed out curiously. 

“I do,” Meh said with a nod. “Which I think is understandable given we spent ten years in space together alone. But if you’re trying to ask if there’s something there in the romantic sense....there isn’t. Family maybe, if its acceptable to frequently want to toss your family out an airlock, but nothing more.” Snorting. “He’s irritating, but I do trust him with him life. I didn’t have any other choice.”

Something in Amanda’s chest eases up. “...ok. I mean, I don’t think anyone could have blamed you if you had-”

“I’m gay, Amanda.” Bluntly. “That is the correct human term, right? Its actually extremely common among indogene’s because we’re 75% female by birth. No one is exactly sure why the Omec made us that way, but there it is.”

“...I don’t think I knew that.”

“Well, here’s something else I know you don’t know: I’m a widow.”

“What?” Surprised.

“I was married. To an indogene. She died before the war ended.”

“Then...who...?” Glancing at the stairs Bec went up. “Or even  _ how _ ...?”

“It’s an indogene thing,” Meh replied flatly. “And...I don’t want to talk about it. Except to tell you that it was an unusual circumstance and when the others find out about her there might be...trouble.”

“Trouble? Why?”

“...I can’t tell you that. In this case, the less you know the better.”

“Well that’s not ominous.”

“Plausible deniability will always be a thing. Bec is special. Not end the world with strange powers special, but...still unique.”

“She’s not a...clone...?”

“No, she’s definitely not that.” Shaking her head. “But I did want to let you know that if she and I disappear, that’s why. Especially after what I learned today.” Amanda looks away. “I’m not saying that I’m happy about it, because I’m not, alright? I understand why, and I’m trying to believe everything you said, but it still feels like you replaced me. Like this city replaced me. That’s not something I’m going to forget easily or quickly. But if I leave and I don’t tell you why, it won’t be because of that. I just...wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you.” Quietly. 

There’s a knock at the door.

“That’s probably dessert,” Amanda as she got up quickly. 

“Dessert? Who has room for that.” Looking over the half-eaten meal. 

“You, I hope. I asked Karl to make a fresh lime pie.”

Cocking a head at her. “Lime pie? How did you...?”

“Nicky had a little book with everyone’s name and a few things listed as ‘good gifts if you need to apologize’. She said it was just smart to know it ahead of time because being in charge meant you were going to need it eventually.”

“She lost it at the end, but other than the lying and the plots to end the world she was a great Mayor.”

“I know Bec has probably never tried it before, so if you want me to leave you two alone I can-”

“Don’t you dare. I’ll eat half the pie and be up sick tonight. You ordered it, you can help us eat it.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

The pie is a huge hit. Amanda and Meh spend the rest of the evening recounting funny stories about Defiance from years and years ago. Its easy talk with no real substance. When Amanda leaves with the pie (because she knows someone else who will finish it) Meh and Bec head up to sleep.

Amanda goes to Irisa’s house, and a she expected finds them all awake. Nolan is happily playing with the boys, Luke, Josh and Sukar. Irisa is watching with a smile as she helps Alak clean up after dinner. The pie is noisily welcomed. In a moment of quiet, Amanda approaches Nolan. 

“So...” Leaning in.

“Let’s go outside a minute,” he suggests, glancing at the boys, and she follows him out.

“I’ve missed you.” Taking his hand. 

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Why do I hear a ‘but’ on the end of that statement.”

“I need...some time. To figure things out.”

“Like?”

“Like what I am to these boys. And where I need to be in their lives. I need...find my place here. Let me get my bearings set, and...then we’ll talk.”

“How long do you think?”

“A week, maybe two.” Shrugging. “I still care about you, Amanda. More than...more than maybe is sane after being away ten years. But...I need time. With my family.”

“I do understand.” Quirked lips. “Though...I am a little disappointed.”

“We managed ten years,” he told her with a kiss on her hand. “Two weeks will fly by.”

“I’ll go on home, then. You might miss me again and decide to hurry along finding your place.”

“Maybe.” Smiling. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

He goes back inside. 

Irisa. “I wondered if we were going to lose you tonight.”

“Nope,” he said as he flopped down on the couch and the boys piled around him noisily. “I’m staying right here. So, who’s first to wrestle?” Shouting follows. 

That night, after the boys are down, Irisa comments, “You’re a lot more comfortable around kids than you used to be.”

“I have a lot more practice,” Nolan admitted with a shrug. “Being around Bec since she was born.”

“I’m still curious...”

“I can’t tell you anything.”

“Yeah...alright.” Hugging him tightly. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too, kiddo.”

Nolan tries to sleep on the couch that night. Around midnight, he gets up and quietly dresses. Irisa is downstairs before he makes it out the door.

“So, heading off to see Amanda after all?”

“No,” he said quietly. “Going to check on Bec and Meh.”

“Why?” Confused.

“I just...need to, alright?” Shrugging. “I haven’t been this far away from them for this long in years. I...just need to see that they’re ok. If Meh doesn’t rip me a new one for waking her up, I might stay over there too so don’t wait up.”

“Stay over?” Cocked brow. “Are you...?”

“No. No, no, no.” Shaking his head. “It’s not like that. At all, trust me. For either of us. But...do you remember when we first came to Defiant?”

“And you used to come check on me three or four times each night?”

“I didn’t know you knew about that.”

“You aren’t very quiet.” Smiling.

“Sorry, kiddo. But, I got used to listened to you breath while you slept. To hearing you shift around in your seat in the roller. And the ship, I got used to the same thing with Meh. And Bec. Just sleeping close enough so you know the other person’s there through the night.”

“Alright.” Touching his face. “Be careful.”

“I will be, kiddo. And I’ll be back in morning.”

“Better not. The boys have school, and if they see you it’ll be hell getting them to go. Come find me at the office if Doc doesn’t kick you out for waking her up.”

“Yeah, ok.” Grinning. “I make a good grandpa, though.”

“Well...we’ll see about that.”

“Hm.”

Nolan strolls the night streets, and it feels familiar like an old pair of gloves long lost that fit just right. He makes it to Doc’s place, and walks up the stairs. When he gets to the top, she opens the door for him. 

“Can’t sleep?” she asked quietly as she let him in.

“Nope,” he replied as he took off his jacket and hung it by the door. “Should I take the floor, or...?”

“There’s room on the bed,” she said tiredly. “But you’re using your own blanket, thief.”

“Yeah, yeah...”

And when a few hours later Bec crept into the room and laid down between them, they both scooted a little to make room. It was finally right, and they could all sleep.

Nolan woke unable to feel his right arm. The bed was big enough for two, but three was definitely pushing its limit. He glanced over and saw Meh was backed against the wall with one arm on Bec. A look the other way revealed just how precariously he was balanced on the edge. 

Shtako. 

Carefully, he maneuvered himself upright without tipping himself to the floor or waking the other two. The sound of people moving outside came through the walls, and he wondered if that little stall over across the way still sold fresh, hold spice buns every morning. 

Meh wakes, and he has buns and coffee.

Taking her cup. “This stuff is going to be a problem.”

“You want me to drink yours?”

“Try it and lose your hand.”

“Ha!” 

Bec loves the sweet buns, and sits patiently while Meh checks her makeup. Bec then goes back to her room to try on some of her new clothes. 

“How’s your inputs?”

“I think a few switches and a battery need replacing.”

“Where’s the bag?”

Meh sits on her bed and Nolan unzips the back of her tunic, opening it almost to her waist. Implanted along her spine are a series of circles. Nolan cleans his hands and gets to work, popping out small pieces and replacing them with others. 

In the background, Bec answers the door. Then Amanda walks in. Sees Meh sitting with her bare back facing Nolan. Promptly walks back out. Neither notice her, as Meh has her eyes closed and Nolan is concentrating on a tricky bit.

“I think they’re busy.” To Bec. 

“Hm?” Pops her head in, then comes back. “Oh, they’re just fixing Meh’s ports. They’ll be out in a minute.”

“I’m sorry...what?”

“Meh had to be plugged into the ship to be able to control it. Except we went too close to this nebula, and something about it caused problems with the computers. The feedback loop caught Meh up as well, and damaged her spine. Without the implants active and functioning, she’s physically unable to move on her own from her shoulders down. She had to talk Josh through the surgery using a viewscreen to fix it.”

“Josh performed surgery on Meh?”

“A couple of times, actually. He got pretty good at it, too. Meh calls him ‘Nurse Josh’ sometimes when he helps out in the medbay. He hates it.” Smiling. 

“So, what they’re doing was...?”

“Maintenance. Replacing the battery pack and checking the linkages.”

“I see.” 

“Holy Christmas, Nolan, why are your hands always so cold?” Meh, coming out of the bedroom with Nolan. Seeing Amanda, freezing. Then. “That...that’s not what it sounded like.”

“Or looked like,” Nolan added quickly.

“I know,” Amanda said with a laugh as Bec grinned. “She told me. I guess there’s still a lot of things we need to catch up on, hm? Like Nurse Josh, apparently.”

“No, I am  _ not _ a nurse...”

“I dunno, Nolan, I think you could pull off one of those old timey white dresses with pumps and a little hat.” Meh, enjoying herself.

Nolan, in Indojisnen. “Not as well as Amanda could.”

Meh pauses, and gives him a look. He just smiles.

Bec snickers.

“Don’t repeat that,” Meh told Bec firmly.

“So now you speak Indojisnen too?” Amanda, to Nolan.

“Well, we had time, and it was the only way to make sure the Doc wasn’t insulting me behind my back to Bec,” he replied with a grin. 

“Like whatever you just told to Meh?”

“He wasn’t insulting you,” Meh said, carefully looking away as she did something else. “Technically, it wasn’t even an insult.”

“I was just being a banggo,” Nolan said quickly. “Forget it. Bec, are there any spice buns left or did you eat them all?”

She looks guilty. 

“It’s fine, I already ate,” Amanda assured her quickly. “I was going to see if you needed help enrolling her in school.”

“Actually...she’s graduated already.”

“I’m sorry?”

“By her age indogene children are done with schooling, and are ready to start finding their place in the whole. Given her travels, she’ll need a little time to adjust, but I think before too long she’ll be working just like the rest of us.”

“Doing what?” Impressed.

“Not sure yet.” Shrugs. “She needs to figure out a few things first. But as for now we’re all heading down to the clinic for some scans. We’ve been planetside 24 hours, its time to make sure everything is still working the way it should.”

“You heard the boss.” Nolan to Bec. 

“Coming.”

Amanda and Meh follow behind, with Meh closing up behind them. 

Amanda actually has work to do (Mayor!) and leaves them to it. Scans are good, everything checks out fine. 

Nolan heads over to the Lawkeeper’s office, sees Berlin for the first time. Nice reunion. He takes a Deputies badge, working under Irisa. He’s so damn proud of her. 

At the clinic, Meh is refamiliarizing herself with the office and seeing patients with the other two doctors. There's a few 'you look and sound just like so and so!’ moments. She handles them alright. 

Bec starts her testing. Meh has a spare program. It will take her a few days to work through them all. 

Irisa invites Bec and Meh over for dinner, hoping that seeing them at the end of the day may help Nolan adjust. Nolan still walks them home and then stays the night. Bec sleeps between her parents again.

In the morning, Nolan asks Meh if she's going to make a move or not. 

“I'm working on it.”

“Two weeks, Meh. Tick tock tick tock.”

“Yes, yes, I know.” Looking at him for a moment. “Something happened. Out with it.”

“We talked for a minute, that's all,” he replied quickly. “And I told her exactly what I said I Would. That I just needed a little time.”

“Yeah well...I’m not sure this is such a good idea anymore.”

“Ok.” Waiting to hear more.

“The fact is...while I don’t  _ love _ love you, I do care about you. A lot. And no matter who wins, we both lose. And so does Bec. Because I’m not going to be hanging out with you very much if she picks you. And I doubt you’d stick around if she picks me.”

“You’re right,” Nolan agreed with a nod. “Which is why I have an idea.”

“Oh, this should be good.” Muttered to herself. 

“Amanda told me she’d once seriously considered polygamy,” he went on slowly. “As its nearly impossible for one person to fulfill everything another person needs.”

“You’re talking about sharing her, then.”

“Yes.”

Doesn’t immediately respond.

“I care about you too,” Nolan said with a shrug. “And...winning does mean losing. I want you to be happy, and I want her to be happy, and if the two of you together makes you both happy...”

“I think...that might work.” Relaxing some. “Bec would be happy with that. She really likes Amanda.” Pausing. “Do you really think Amanda would go for it?”

“I think you need to get in her pants first and figure out if this is what you actually want,” Nolan countered with a grin. “I know what I’ve want, but I’ve had it several times before, so...” She elbows him, hard. He just laughs.

“You better hope she still wants what’s in your pants after she’s had me.”

“Thatta girl.” Slinging an arm around her shoulders. “We’re a package deal.”

“Like a shopkeeper throwing in a piece of useful junk on top of your purchase because he’s tired of it taking up shelfspace and calling it a deal?”

“Hey!”

Meh and Amanda are together alone a few more times. Dinner together one night while Bec is with Nolan? Breakfast at the clinic (coffee and buns!) Lunch on the roof of the government building on a beautiful day. 

“I have a question.”

“Hm?”

“There was one time you were telling Nolan and I something and I finished something you were saying. You responded with something like, “And you get a sticker that says Teacher’s Pet. Come see me after class.”

“And?”

“...were you flirting with me?”

“...might have been.”

“...might have been, you don’t remember? Or might have been...you don’t want to say?”

“...might have been...which do you prefer?”

“...that you kiss me to shut me up.”

At some point: Meh kisses and confesses to Amanda. Its during lunch.They are interrupted, and Amanda leaves. She comes back later, and they pick up where they left off. Bec goes to stay with Nolan for the night. 

The day before, Bec got her first implant from Meh. She comes home the next morning and is a little off, but Meh is too happy to notice. Nolan accompanies Amanda on an inspection, and he admits that he knows she stayed the night with Meh. 

“So...are you angry?”

“No, I’m not,” he replied, shaking his head. “We aren’t a thing, and I asked you to give me some time.”

“Ok, so what are you then?”

“Uh, hopeful, actually.”

“Hopeful?”

“I need to tell you a story. Its kind of a long one.”

“We’ve got time.” A long ride in a roller? Or something.

“When Meh and I left, she was in bad shape. And I could tell that she was convinced we weren’t going to make it back home. That...however this ended, it wouldn’t be on Earth. I needed to motivate her to want to come home, but I didn’t know how. Meh keeps her cards close to her chest, usually. Until one night, she finally managed to ferment something enough to make alcohol and we both got drunk.”

“We were talking about Defiance, and I admitted that I loved you. And she said she loved you too. If she hasn’t mentioned it already, she really likes your braid. She even admitted that the day after we stole a strip of her skin for the Omec she could have killed me or Irisa, but you she couldn’t even stay annoyed at. So I made her a deal. If we made it back, I would keep my distance for two weeks. Give her a shot. I needed her to want to come home, or I was fairly sure neither of us would.”

“It worked. We had...a lot of close calls, but the thought of coming back kept us going. Only after awhile I realized that...I don’t love Meh the way that I love you. But I do care about her, deeply. I care if she’s safe and if she’s happy, and...if us being together would hurt her, I don’t think I could do that anymore. Not after everything she and I have been through together. Not after raising Bec.”

“Ok...”

“And she feels the same way. About you and her.”

“That would have been nice to know before we slept together.”

“That’s not...what I’m trying to say and am apparently jekking up royally is: how would you feel about a package deal?”

“Package...?”

“Both of us. Not at the same time, I mean, because even though I wouldn’t be opposed Meh has some pretty strong views-” Catching Amanda’s look, he changes course. “That’s not important right now. What is important is you don’t have to choose. We could try and make it work together. As a family.”

“I-”

Nolan’s hailer goes off.

It keeps ringing.

“You should answer that.” They’re pulling up to main street in Defiance. The hailer shuts off, starting ringing again. 

He answer it. “Nolan here.” Pauses in parking the car. “She-?” The voice on the other end goes on. “I’m coming.”

“Nolan?” Worried at the look on his face.

“It’s Bec.”

Meh is out of surgery and washing up, going through the motions as her mind is a million miles away. Nolan comes bursting in, Amanda hot on his heels. 

“Where is she?” he asked, seeing her in scrubs. “Is she-?”

“Asleep,” Meh said quickly. “And stable. She’ll be out a few hours.”

“Can I-?”

“Yes.” Nolan goes through. Meh goes back to washing up, mind obviously still elsewhere. 

“Meh, is she ok?” Amanda asked, coming up beside her. 

“She will be,” the Indogene said softly. “She...her body rejected an implant.”

“Why did she have an implant?”

“They’re traditional for Indogenes. I have several that assist in my ability to function as an excellent doctor. The one I gave her was the most basic. The one by which she would identify herself as an indogene to all other indogenes.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me that you were moving ahead with this?” Nolan from the doorway.

“We had already discussed it, Nolan. And I think you’re missing the important part.”

“You still should have told me, Meh. She wasn’t herself last night, but I thought she was just tired out from all the testing.”

“And if you could get your head out of your ass, you’d see that we have a much bigger problem than your bruised ego.  _ We can’t hide her in plain sight _ without the  _ jekking implants _ -”

“Dammit, Meh, I’m her  _ jekking father!” _

The indogene hissed, “Yes you are, but if this gets the one who’s going to be punished  _ is me _ !”

“Wait,  _ what?” _

They both forgot she was there. 

“Shtako.” Meh turns to leave and Amanda catches her arm.

“Oh no, not this time. I want answers.”

“It’s not what you think.” Nolan quickly.

“Yes, because you always know what I’m thinking. Please, tell me what I’m thinking.”

“I did not sleep with Meh, ok? What happened was an accident.”

“An accident. Right. An accident where your junk toucher her junk and she  _ magically _ -”

“I was  _ dying _ .” Meh hates talking about that day, and Nolan can see it in her face. “I had an accident in a cargo bay. I was caught under some shelving that fell. Nolan founds me a while later. I don’t remember it, I had already passed out.”

“What I do remember is waking up in the _____plasma table, and discovering that with the help of the computer he’d performed a complex and life-saving surgery on me. Grew me a new lung and a new ‘liver’ and exchanged them for me. Except he made a mistake, and ordered to many. And one of them was accidentally contaminated with his blood from where he cut himself trying to drag me free.”

“It was a few days before we discovered this. Maybe a week. The AI in the ship didn’t have the ability to make a lung out of two types of DNA, but it could build a new life out of them. So that’s what it did.”

Shaking her head. “I wasn’t lying when I said she was born like every other indogene. We are a synthetic species, made by the Omec to be owned and controlled. As a result, we’re all born sterile. To further our species, we created our children of the DNA of two or more parents, like Bec was, in a laboratory environment.”

“...you’re serious.” Amanda, in shock.

“I was just trying to save her life,” Nolan said simply. “I didn’t realize...” Rubbing a scar on the back of his hand. He let it heal naturally after he realized the truth. He wanted the reminder for the rest of his life. 

“Any other secrets I should know?” Weakly. 

Nolan and Meh exchange looks. 

“What?” Suspicious.

Meh nods. Nolan speaks. “The Omec ship. It isn’t gone. We hid it at the North Ice Cap and-”

“You  _ what?!” _

And it goes downhill from there. 

Things that happen after this: 

Irisa eventually gets angry at Nolan for spending more time with Bec and Meh than her and her boys. “Bec isn’t your daughter!” “Yes, she is!” Irisa actually takes things a whole lot better after that, and sides with Bec and Meh on trying to help keep them safe. 

Amanda is pissed as hell at the both of them, and says ‘Neither’ to their proposition of ‘both’. Nolan moves in with Meh and Bec and soon after openly claims her. There’s not point in denying it any further. 

Stamah tries to seduce Meh, because of how involved Datak gets in everything. Meh resists, but Amanda things she gave in. This just makes things worse. 

There is some sort of attack on the town. Something that requires the ship to save it. Meh saves everyone, but reveals her ability to control the ship. The Votanis Collective decides that doesn’t fly and kidnaps Meh. 

Amanda joins the caravan to bring her back, as does Irisa and Berlin. There is a firefight, but they manage to get her back. Nolan is wounded, and Meh has to pull herself together enough to operate in the field on him and save him. She does. 

Irisa makes a comment to Amanda that she’s being stupid. Amanda tries to play it off like she doesn’t know what that’s about. 

But when they get back to Defiance, she follows Meh and Nolan on his stretcher back to the clinic. Amanda waits until most everyone else has cleared out. 

“I’m...fine,” Meh said when she said Amanda staring at her. “I’m sure you have other, important things to do. People who need you. I’m alright.”

“There’s nothing more important than this right now.” Coming over and taking her in a gentle hug. “I’m sorry. I’ve...been an idiot. Again. Can you possibly....”

“You have your hair in a braid. I’m pretty much going to agree with whatever you say.”

“Wish I’d known that years ago.” Pulling back to smile at her.

“You better kiss her.” Nolan, from his bed.

“You should be asleep.” Meh, letting go to check his machines. 

“She likes having her head rubbed. Right in between those grey spots she has.”

“ _ Shut up _ , Nolan.” Checking another monitor. “If you want more pain meds, just ask.”

“More please.”

“Shtako for brains.” But its almost fond. Almost.

She finishes and turns around to find Amanda right behind her. “Ah...”

Amanda kisses her. “Can I stay the night?”

“Holy Christmas, yes.” Pausing. “You do mean...I mean...package deal, right?”

“Yes,” smiling at Nolan. “Package deal.”

“Then, yes please.”

Irisa closes the door of the clinic very quietly, smiling to herself. Pulling out her hailer, she calls Alak. “Hi, love. Make up a bed for Bec, and tell her she’s staying the night. Nolan and Meh are fine, but....I think they need a night before she comes home. Thanks, bye.”

Things were finally as they should be. 

Epilogue is Meh flopping into bed in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted and Amanda rolling over to kiss her. 

“Busy night?”

“Two emergency births. Two!” Groaning. “I miss the good old days when this was a town, not a city.”

“They come to you because you’re the best.” Snuggling into her side. 

“Hmph.” Meh still smiles.

Nolan rolls over on his side of the bed. “What time is it?”

“Fiveish.”

“Ugh.” Getting up. He’s a little greyer, and with a few more lines on his face, but his body is as lean as ever. “Irisa has me meeting the VC ambassador at the net in an hour. Slavedriver.”

“You should talk to her father,” Meh snarked, half-asleep. “Maybe he can...oh wait. Never mind.”

She gets a pillow in her face for her troubles. 

“Josh!”

“Well, if you’re awake,” Amanda said, laughing. “ _ I _ have a few hours before I have to be up to meet the ambassador...”

Her hair is in a braid.

“...you planned this.”

“Maybe.”

“...yeah, alright.”

Nolan comes back to find them busily fucking in the bed. He smiles. Normally he’d stay and watch a bit, but he’s got places to be. He can’t help saying, “Quiet, now, or the guards will think someone’s getting murdered in here.”

“You’re just jealous because I’m better at making her scream.” Meh from between Amanda’s legs.

“Bye, girls. We’ll continue this tonight.”

Yeah...life was pretty good. 


End file.
